System i Access

Please read the following requirements before coding your Windows application:

• Install the iSeries Access for Windows Toolkit on your PC. If iSeries Access for Windows was installed, but the Toolkit component was not installed, use iSeries Access for Windows Selective Setup to install the Toolkit. The Toolkit contains the necessary iSeries Access for Windows APIs.
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• Download the necessary development files to your PC. Refer to XDA Download. The files are named qxdaedrs.dll, qxdaedrsnt.h, and qxdaedrs.lib. ( NOTE: cwbapi.lib replaces qxdaedrs.lib in V5R2 Service Pack SI10914 and later.) For both V5R1 and V5R2, the qxdaedrs.dll can be obtained from XDA Download. Also, for V5R1, the qxdaedrsnt.h and qxdaedrs.lib files are available from XDA Download.

  Beginning in V5R2 Service Pack SI10914, the cwbapi.lib library replaced qxdaedrs.lib and is a part of the iSeries Access for Windows, along with the qxdaedrsnt.h header file which is now contained in the iSeries Access for Windows Toolkit. The qxdaedrs.dll file should be put in the WINDOWS/SYSTEM32 directory. The header and library file could be moved to the iSeries Access for Windows include and lib directories; however, it is recommended to create and use a separate directory for the EDRS functions.

  Also, two registry files (sndbufsz.reg and DataConv.reg) are included. These allow you to insert/update their values in the XDA registry entry. The registry entry will be queried during QxdaConnectEDRS to either...

  • set the TCP send/receive buffers to the size of the value in the XDA key (sndbufsz.reg)
  • 
    and/or
  • set the ASCII to/from EBCDIC data conversion value (DataConv.reg) in the XDA registry
  to either use the original data conversion method (ConversionVal = 1) or use the default data conversion method (ConversionVal = 0). The default values of the sndbufsz.reg is 1 MB and the default value of DataConv.reg files is 0. NOTE:  The sndbufsz.reg file will no longer be shipped in Service Pack SI09809 or later. Beginning in Service Pack SI09809, the XDA Windows client has been more tightly integrated with the iSeries Access for Windows core. The TCP send buffer size and TCP receive buffer size can now be set using the cwbcopwr.exe utility, as can other settings. The use of cwbcopwr.exe is recommended for advanced users only.
  
  

  In addition to the dll, header, lib, and registry files, a README.TXT file is also available that describes any last-minute changes that might not be in the latest online documentation.

  You can download the code from the XDA Download page.

  For a history of iSeries Access for Windows Service Packs and to download the latest service pack, refer to the iSeries Access for Windows Service Packs page.

Follow these steps to ensure that you can successfully compile your Windows application:

1. Set up your compiler preprocessor environment to find all header files required for compilation. For include directories, you need the iSeries Access for Windows Include directory as well as the directory containing the qxdaedrsnt.h file. The iSeries Access for Windows Include directory is usually in \..\Toolkit\Include. The path name varies based on the directory iSeries Access for Windows was installed. For example, it could be C:\CAExpress\Toolkit\Include.
2. Set up your compiler linker environment to find all .lib files required for compilation. The .lib file describing the QXDAEDRS APIs is qxdaedrs.lib. NOTE: Beginning in Service Pack SI10914, qxdaedrs.lib is in cwbapi.lib.)
3. Create the source code for your Windows application. Remember that you must #include qxdaedrsnt.h.
4. OPTIONAL: Install the sndbufsz.reg file to a directory of your choice and double-click on it. This will set the XDA key in the registry to the value in the sndbufsz.reg file. If you want to change the value in the registry file, make a copy of the file to another directory. Then bring the copy into your favorite editor and change the value. That way, if something does go wrong, the original copy exists and isn't damaged.

You are ready to compile.

Before you can run your Windows application, make sure that the following dll files are will be linked when it is executed:

• qxdaedrs.dll - Contains all the EDRS APIs.
• cwbapi.dll - Contains all the iSeries Access for Windows APIs.
• winsock.dll - Contains all the communication support (TCP/IP, sockets)

Normally, there shouldn't be any setup for those files as qxdaedrs is in the Windows system directory. Usually the directories containing cwbapi.dll and winsock.dll will be in the execution path.